Mexico announces further lifting of ban on U.S. beef

Published
7:00 pm CDT, Monday, April 12, 2004

Mexico opened its border to a wider array of U.S. beef products, including trimmings, liver, tongue, lips, heart and kidneys, in a further lifting of a ban imposed on U.S. beef imports after the discovery of a single case of mad cow disease at a Washington state farm.

The newly-allowed cuts will have to come from meat packing plants approved by Mexican authorities, and will have to come from cows under 30 months of age that have never been exposed to animal-based feed, the Agriculture Department said in a statement.

The department said the newly-approved products pose no risk of infection. It said Mexico will continue to ban imports of U.S. ground beef, mechanically-separated beef and other products that could contain bone marrow or spinal material, where the disease is most likely to be found.

In March, Mexico partially lifted its ban on imports of U.S. beef and allowed in boneless cuts from animals less than 30 months old and veal from animals less than 9 months old could be imported.

Mexico imposed a ban on U.S. beef imports Dec. 24, the day after a single case of mad-cow disease was reported in Washington state.

Mexico is traditionally the second-largest foreign market for U.S. beef. The United States exported 346,520 tons of beef to Mexico from January through November last year, worth $818 million, according to USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.